Weft feeler and stop motion device for weaving looms



June ZO', 1933. J. w. MacKENZlE WEFT FEELER AND STOP MOTION DEVICE FOR WEAVING LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18,

'FIQE.

June 20, 1933.. J. w. MacKENZIE 1,914,749

WEFT FEELER AND STOP MOTION DEVICE FOR WEAVING LOOMS Filed June 18, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3/ FIG.

Patented June 20, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECZE JOHN WALKER MACKENZIE, F DUNDEE, ANGUS, SCOTLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM DU'JE'IEUS IRELAND AND DAVID FAIEVi'EA'IHER IRELAND, BOTH OF DUNDEE, ANGUS,

SCOTLAND WEF'I FEELER AND ESTOP MGTIGN DEVICE FOR WEAVING- LOOMS Application filed June 18, 1931, Serial No. 545,280, and in Great Britain April 16, 1931.

This invention relates to a cop feeler and stop motion device for looms for weav ng ute and other fabrics devised, 011 depletion to a predetermined degree of the filling within the shuttle, to effect automatic stoppage of be locked against endwise movement on depletion of the weft to a predetermined degree so as by its action on a member of the loom controlling means automatically to efiect t f th 1 s oppage o e com The feeler member may be mounted on the bottom of the cop chamber or may be fitted to the shuttle cover in position to contact with the coned tail end of the cop.

On depletion of the weft to a predeter- 5 mined degree with feeler member enters into locking relation with a spring-urged plunger or the like engageable in the operation of the loom with a member of the loom controlling means. When the cop is sutiiciently full, the plunger is free to yield and is therefore idle; when the plunger is locked or obstructed, however, it constitutes an actuator for effecting automatic stoppage of the loom.

In practice, in the operation of the loom, at the end of the forward stroke of the sley, the plunger is intercepted by an abutment operatively connected to the starting-andstopping lever of the loom or to a lat-ch cooperative with the starting-and-stopping lever, and adapted in the normal operation of the 100111 with asufliciently full cop to displace said plunger in opposition to its spring, but contrived to be displaced or tripped by the plunger, when the plunger is locked or obstructed, to effect automatic stoppage of the loom.

In a preferred embodiment of the inven tion the plunger is mounted for movement transversely of the shuttle in a bracket secured to the bottom of the cop chamber in the shuttle at the tail end thereof. Provided on the front end of the plunger is a crosshead or the like in register with an elongated opening formed in the front side wall of the shuttle and serving to permit entry of the abutment for engagement with the crosshead or the like. Stop means, which may consist of a pin or pins upstanding from the bracket is provided to limit the outward movement of the plunger under the influence of its spring. The feeler member, which extends lon itudinally of the cop chamber for engagement with the underside of the external surface of the coned tail end the cop, is pivoted to the bracket and presents a toe engageable with a notch formed transversely in the plunger and adapted to register with the too when the plunger is in fully extended position, or the toe may enter into obstructing relation with the plunger end. The feeler member is influenced upwardly by a light spring which, when the feeler member is free, causes the toe to engage the notch and so look the plunger. The stress of the spring may be adjusted to take account of differences in the weight of the yarn, which depends on the thickness of the cloth to be produced. The adjustment may be effected by regulation of a screw or the like fitted to the bottom of the cop chamber. \Vhen full cop is inserted into the cop chamber, the feeler member is depressed in opposition to its spring whereby the toe is retracted clear of the notch so that the plunger may be moved axially in opposition to its spring. When the weft is depleted to the extent that only the outer windings of the coned end of the cop remain, said end collapses and permits the feeler member to rise so that the toe enters the notch and locks the plunger.

An abutment associated with or operatively connected to the starting-and-stopping lever of the loom is positioned to intercept the crosshead in the forward stroke of the sley.

As long as the quantity of weft in the cop chamber is sufficient to depress the feeler member to maintain the toe clear of the notch in the plunger the abutment is not displaced 1O ble shots, broken shots and missed shots are practically eliminated. As the uptake motion does not require to be let off, no bars are made in the cloth. Further, the yarn at the tail end of the cop can be utilized in 15 the production of cloth so that there is very little waste.

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a plan view part section on 9 the line a-a of Fig. 3 showing inter alia a shuttle-box of a loom with a shuttle therein, the starting-and-stopping lever of the loom in on position and mechanism associated therewith cooperating with the de- QJV1CG within the shuttle; Fig. 2 is a frag mentary plan view showing the starting-andstopping lever in off position; Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 4 is an elevation at right angles to Fi 3 Fi 5 is a fra mentar front eles a 9 a a y vation of the loom drawn to a smaller scale and showing more particularly the starting and stopping lever and its connections; Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are detail views drawn to a larger scale showing the feeler device within the cop chamber, Fig. 6 being a plan view with the shuttle cover removed, Fig. 7 a longitudinal section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 6, Fig. 8 a view similar to Fig. 7 showing the position of the feeler member when the weft is depleted to a. predetermined degree, and Fig. 9 a fragmentary front elevation of the shuttle showing the aperture in the front wall thereof for the plunger crosshead; Fig.

10 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a modification in which the feeler device is fitted to the shuttle cover; Fig. 11 is a fragmentary detail plan View showing a modified arrangement including a retaining latch cooperating with the starting-and-stopping lever of the loom.

Referring to Figs. 19, 1 denotes a springurged feeler member disposed longltudlnally M in the tail end of the cop chamber 2 of a shuttle 3 and adapted to engage the external under surface of the coned tail end 4 of the cop 5 within the cop chamber 2. The feeler memberlispivoted at 6 in a bracket 7 secured to the bottom of the chamber 2 and present ing a tubular guide boss 8 in which is guided 'for movement transversely of the shuttle a spring-urged tubular plunger 9 presenting at its front end a crosshead 10 in register with an elongated opening 11 in the front side wall of the cop chamber. Outward movement of the plunger 9 under the action of its spring 12 is limited by stop pins 13 upstanding from the bracket 7 and engageable by the crosshead 10. Formed transversely in the plunger 9 is a notch 14 which in the fully extended position of the plunger as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 registers with the feeler member 1 and is adapted, when the cop 5 is depleted to a predetermined degree, to be entered by a toe 15 presented by the feeler member 1 whereby to lock the plunger against endwise movement. ,When a full cop 5- is inserted into the chamber 2, the coned end 4 of the cop engages and depresses the feeler member in opposition to the action of a spring 16, whereby the toe 15 of the feeler member is maintainedclear of the notch 14 so that the plunger 9 is free; In the operationof the loom, at the end of the forward stroke of the sley 17 the crosshead 10 engages the end 18 of a bent rod 19 adjustably carried by a lever 20 engagin the starting-and-stopping lever 22 of the 00m, the arrangement being such that, while there is a sufliciency of weft in the shuttle 3, the plunger 9 is merely forced back in 0pposi tion to its spring 12 by its engagement with. the rod 19 in each forward stroke of the sley 1.7. The starting-and-stopping lever 22 is of the usual spring type anchored at its lower end to the adjacent gable 23 of the loom and operating in a gate 24 presentin a step 25 engageable by the lever 22 where by to hold it in on position as shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5. lVhen the cop 5 is depleted to a predetermined degree, i. e., when there remain. in the cop chamber 2 only the outer windings of the coned end 4, said windings collapse under the lifting tendency of the feeler member 1, allowing the feeler member 1 to rise whereby the toe 15 is caused to enter the notch 14. and lock the plunger 9, as shown in Fig. 8. In the succeeding forward stroke of the sley 17, when the crosshead 10 engages the rod 19, the lever 20 is moved forwardly whereby to displace the starting-andstopping lever 22elear of the step 25 soas toallow the lever 22v to spring back into. off position as shown in Fig. 2, whereby automatically to effect stoppage of the loom. The lever 20 is pivoted at one end at 21 to the gable 23 and is provided at its other end with an adjustable holder 26 for the rod 19. 27 denotes a stop-forming bracket for limiting the movement of the lever 20.

In the modification shown in. Fig. lOthe feeler device is attached to the'usual hi ed cover 28 of the shuttle 3 in manner such t at the feeler member 1 is engageable with the upper external surface of the coned end 4 of the cop 5. The feeler member 1 depends through a slot 29 in the cover 28 and is urged into engagement with. the coned end 4: by a blade spring 30 secured to the underside of the cover 28. It will readily be understood that, when the cover 28 is closed upon the cop, the feeler member 1 will engage the cop end 4: and will be moved towards the cover in opposition to the action of the spring 30, the toe 15 being withdrawn clear of the notch 14 in the plunger. On depletion of the cop 5 to the predetermined degree, when the feeler member 1 moves downwardly, the toe 15 locks the plunger 9.

Fig. 11 shows a modified arrangement in which the starting-and-stopping lever 22 is adapted to be held in on position by one arm of a latch lever 31 fulcrumed between its ends at 32 and carrying on the other arm the rod 19 for engagement by the plunger crosshead. As will be understood, when the plunger is locked, the latch lever 31 will be rocked on its fulcrum 32 whereby to release the starting-and-stopping lever 22 to effect stoppage of the loom.

In the particular arrangement shown in Fig. 5 the starting-and-stopping lever 22 is connected to one arm 33 of a bell-crank lever the other arm 34 of which is operatively connected through a link 35 to a. starter 36 for the loom-driving motor 37.

What I claim is 1. In combination with a weaving shuttle having a cop chamber formed with an opening in its wall near the tail end, a normally idle spring-urged plunger carried by said shuttle and exposed through said opening for co-operation with loom-controlling means, and a spring-urged filling-engaging feeler pivotally mounted on the bottom of said chamber at the tail end of said shuttle, said feeler entering into locking engagement with said plunger on depletion of the filling to a predetermined degree whereby to restrain said plunger against endwise movement.

2. In combination with a weaving shuttle having a chamber to receive the filling and formed with an opening in its lateral wall near the tail end of said shuttle, and rearward of the filling within said chamber, a lever fulcrumed on the bottom of said chamber near the tail end of said shuttle, said lever being spring-urged into engagement with the tail end of the filling within said chamber, and a blocking member separate from, and engageable by, said lever and adapted to block said opening on the rocking of said lever on depletion of the filling.

JOHN WALKER MACKENZIE. 

